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Uniting Physics: Science of Black Hole Thermodynamics to be Discussed at Perimeter Institute Public Lecture on November 2

October 12, 2011

Black holes are hot! This discovery made by Stephen Hawking ties together gravity, spacetime, quantum matter, and thermal systems into the beautiful and exciting science of "black hole thermodynamics". Its beauty lies in the powerful way it speaks of the unity of physics.

WATERLOO, ON, Oct. 12, 2011 - Black holes are hot! This discovery made by Stephen Hawking ties together gravity, spacetime, quantum matter, and thermal systems into the beautiful and exciting science of "black hole thermodynamics". Its beauty lies in the powerful way it speaks of the unity of physics. On Wednesday, November 2, as part of Perimeter Institute's Public Lecture Series presented by Sun Life Financial, Fay Dowker, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College, London, UK, will describe black hole thermodynamics and argue that it is telling us that spacetime itself is granular or "atomic" at very tiny scales. Fay Dowker completed her PhD with PI Distinguished Research Chair Stephen Hawking at the University of Cambridge. She has done postdoctoral work at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of California at Santa Barbara, and California Institute of Technology. She held a lectureship at Queen Mary, University of London before moving to Imperial College. Her research interests are in quantum gravity and especially causal set theory, and in the foundations of quantum mechanics. Professor Dowker's lecture, entitled "Spacetime Atoms and the Unity of Physics" will be held Wednesday, November 2 at 7:00 PM ET in Waterloo, Ontario. Tickets will be available starting Monday, October 17th, 2011. Further details can be found at www.perimeterinstitute.ca.

About Perimeter Institute

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, non-profit, scientific research organization working to advance our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter, and information. Located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Perimeter also provides a wide array of research training and educational outreach activities to nurture scientific talent and share the importance of discovery and innovation among students, teachers, and the general public. In partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada, Perimeter is a successful example of public-private collaboration in scientific research, training, and outreach. http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/